Transformers: Reforged
by DJ-7.5
Summary: It's been eight years since the knowledge of Cybertronian existence was made public. In that time, new Autobots have arrived, the Decepticons have disappeared for a second time, and the world is prospering. However, threats still remain, and three teens are about to find out just how dangerous those threats are. First fanfic, please let me know if I'm doing good.
1. Chapter 1

**Location: Southern Oregon**

 **Date: September 24, 2018**

 **Time: 1400 hrs**

The school bus drove swiftly down the long road that led to their destination. Inside, teens talked, played catch with various objects and overall annoyed the driver to no end. Fortunately for him, they soon arrived at Crater Lake and the bus was parked. The dozen or so kids dismounted in a sea of colors, most of them unhappy about having to go into the freezing cold of a mountain for school.

"I can't believe we have to stand in a stupid building for an hour," one boy said to his friend,"Why are school trips always so boring?"

"At least the view is kinda nice," his friend replied, trying to be optimistic.

"I guess there's that," the first smiled flirtatiously at a group of girls who giggled and looked away. The second boy noticed this and shoved his shoulder into the first's.

"Oscar, you swore off girls for the week," he rose an eyebrow at Oscar.

"Ah, come on, Zee, I'm just looking...and thinking about talking."

Zee rolled his eyes but didn't do anything to stop Oscar as he walked over a lone girl who was messing with something in her backpack. He put on his most charming smile,"Hey."

The girl gave a bit of a start at sudden presence of another living being,"Oh, um, hi."

"Are you from space? 'Cause your body is outta this world."

"Thanks, I guess?" now she just seemed confused and Oscar was slightly regretting talking to her. Did she not realize he was flirting? Or did she just not know how to respond? Either way, he was determined to at least start a conversation,"You're welcome. So, is there a name to go with those pretty eyes?"

"Taylor."

They stood there awkwardly for a moment; Oscar waiting for a last name and Taylor waiting for him to respond. Zee just watched with an amused smile on his face. Thankfully they were saved by their teacher, Mrs. Hideyoshi, making an announcement on the bullhorn.

"Class," she called, her sing-song voice annoying to all who heard it,"Before we go inside, make sure you pair up in groups of three. Normally it would be the usual two-person buddy system, but I feel like this would be better. Find your partners and we'll be on our way."

Seeing his opportunity, Oscar tried once again to woo Taylor, saying,"Well, what do you say? You wanna be my partner? Maybe sometime during this trip we could even get some time alone," he winked with much implied. Taylor blinked and felt her cheeks turn a faint pink, still not really knowing what to say. At any other time she might have said 'No way Jose!', but she actually didn't have many friends—or any for that matter—and she knew that everyone else was probably already in groups of their own. Just as Taylor was getting too uncomfortable, Zee came to her rescue, having heard the entire conversation.

"Not while I'm around," he laid a hand on his friend's shoulder, then turned to their on-looker,"Sorry about Oscar here. He has a habit of saying dumb things to just about everyone," Taylor laughed a little as Oscar let out a rather offended squawk,"I'm Zee by the way."

"Taylor. Nice to meet you."

The three teens headed inside behind their classmates as they noticed everyone walking away. They stood in the small observation room for a few minutes as a groundskeeper explained the history of Crater Lake and how it filled with fish, which was rather unusual. Taylor was quite fascinated with how the volcano blew its top, even asking the occasional question and taking notes. Oscar and Zee, on the other hand, had quickly lost interest because, honestly, the only thing they considered notable about Oregon was the fact that the Autobots had first crashed there back in the fifties. A park ranger was in the middle of explaining the wildlife that lived in the area when a loud wail suddenly pierced the air that they recognized as a warning siren—the specialized one that meant a Decepticon attack was headed their way.

"Attention," a man called over the speaker system,"Please return to your vehicles and clear the area immediately. This is not a drill."

"Students, return to the bus quickly, stay with your partners," Mrs. Hideyoshi said, looking very much panicked. The flood of kids began to move at first, then stopped as they noticed very large something streaking across the sky, similar to a meteor but with a strange blue tint. The group got moving again, this time with more urgency. They were halfway to the parking lot when the ground shook violently, sending several people to the dirt. The meteorite had struck down near the edge of the lake in a flaming heap. Zee and Oscar looked at each other, a secret message seeming to pass between them. They smirked. Everyone, now more fearful than ever, began to run to their cars, not caring who was in their way. Just as she passed a small tree line, Taylor's mouth was suddenly covered by a firm hand and she was yanked to the side by her two companions who were hiding there. When they finally let her go, she turned to them and shouted,"What are you doing? We're supposed to be getting out of here!"

"Not before we get a good look at that comet."

Taylor gaped at Oscar like he'd grown another head. It took her a moment of stunned silence before she was able to respond,"Are you nuts?! Not only is that reckless and incredibly dangerous, but even if you could get close, you'd get left behind—the bus is about to leave!"

"Oh come on," Oscar replied cockily,"This is first and only exiting thing that's happened around here. We're probably never going to get a chance like this again, so we're going. Either you can come with us or hold up the bus until we get back. Your choice."

With that, Zee and Oscar turned and headed down the path that led to the shoreline, Taylor looking after them. She hated to admit it, but he'd brought up some good points, and she was interested in getting a look at the meteor. Correction; her inner scientist was _dying_ to study it. Taylor bit her thumbnail, torn between following the two and heading back to the bus.

Meanwhile, Oscar and Zee were nearly at the crash site. They slid down a small slope toward the large trail of dirt that the comet had upturned in its wake, a few areas in flames from the heat. The two crouched down a few yards away from the thing itself, not wanting to get too close. No matter how adventurous they were, they weren't stupid.

"Dude," Zee said as he leaned forward as much as he dared,"Is it just me or does that look like a Cybertronian escape pod?"

"No, that's definitely what it is."

The two gave a start at the new voice, calming once they saw that it was only Taylor as she crouched between them.

"Nice of you to join us," Oscar rose a brow flirtatiously, though it was ignored as Taylor pulled out a scanner from her backpack, letting the beam it emitted sweep over the pod,"Don't get your hopes up. I just want a scan of this thing and then I'm leaving."

He leaned around her to look at Zee with a face that was a cross between 'please help me' and 'what does she mean by that?'. His friend merely shrugged in response.

"Whoa," Taylor's voice brought their attention back to her scanner.

"What is it?" Zee asked, not really knowing what the stuff that was running across the screen meant.

"It looks like this pod is filled with some kind of Energon," she explained, though when she caught their glances of 'why is that amazing?', she decided to continue,"At first glance, it appears normal, but then I got this," she changed the image to show a data set that was much more wild and cluttered,"It's at least ten times more powerful than any other form of Energon anyone has seen before, possibly even stronger."

Both boys glued their eyes to the screen,"Whoa."

"Exactly. But I can't be sure without an actual sample and that could prove problematic, especially since I don't have the necessary equipment with me and I would need to..."

Zee glanced over to the escape pod, having heard a strange popping noise, and saw a small dribble of Energon leak from the engines and start running along the ground toward a flaming bush. Okay, now he was worried. Nervously, he tapped Taylor on the shoulder,"Hey, Taylor, isn't Energon flammable?"

"Combustible, actually," she replied, still focused on the scanner,"In fact, there's probably enough here to take down a four-story house if it were placed in the right spot. Why?"

" 'Cause I think we're about to see that."

Oscar and Taylor finally looked to where he was pointing, the small stream now on fire and spreading. A moment of terrified faces passed between them before they all shouted,"Run!"

The two boys were up and running in a flash, but Taylor had to pause for a moment in order to put her equipment away. Unfortunately, the unstable, upturned dirt she'd been sitting on chose the exact moment that she began running to give out underneath her, sending the redhead tumbling down the mini cliff with a sharp cry, alerting the others to her predicament.

"Taylor!" Oscar called. He tried going after her but Zee grabbed his arm and pulled him behind a large nearby boulder, seeing that the pod was about to go off. In the trench, Taylor had thrown her backpack up onto the ridge in an attempt to save her data, then ran as fast as she could down the trail that had been carved into the ground, knowing that she wouldn't be able to scale the loose dirt wall. But she didn't get far before the fire reached the pod's fuel tank and blew up in a spectacular fireball, the shockwave sending Taylor flying. Everything seemed to slow down as a second, dual wave burst out, one colored blue and the other yellow. As soon as they hit her, an unusual energy passed through her body and caused her hair to glow for a moment then fade away just before she hit the ground, tumbling a bit before coming to a stop.

Behind the rock, Zee and Oscar were recovering from the intense blast, their ears still ringing. The two groaned as they caught their breath.

"Oh, _mi_ _cabeza_ ," the younger moaned while rubbing his temple,"Maybe we shouldn't have come here."

"No kiddin'," Zee pushed himself to his feet, causing a new wave of dizziness to cloud his already foggy mind. He turned to look at the bigger, burnt crater where the pod once was, the area now pouring smoke. A small dark dot caught his attention near the edge. Focusing on it, he realized that it was a Taylor's backpa—

"Taylor!"

The sudden cry made Oscar look up from where he was crouched over while trying not lose his lunch,"Did she make it?"

The only response he got was Zee looking at him with a worried and dreading look in his eye. Not wasting another moment, the two took off toward the crater. They stopped at the edge where their comrade had fallen, the larger boy picking up the discarded backpack, staring at the initials _T.S.K_.

"There!"

Zee looked to where Oscar pointing, spotting Taylor laying with her back to them, faint burn marks marring her previously spotless white dress shirt. They slid down the shifty dirt wall without a second thought, racing to her side. Gently, they turned her onto her back. She was surprisingly unharmed, just a little dirty, which was to be expected. Oscar shook her shoulder,"Hey, Taylor, you alright? Come on, talk to us."

A small moan escaped redhead's lips, her eyes cracking open the tiniest bit,"Guys?" the boys let out identical sighs of relief,"Told you we shouldn't have come down here."

"Great, just what I need right now; an 'I told you so'," Oscar crossed his arms with a pout, making the others chuckle.

"Come on," Zee said as he helped Taylor into a sitting position,"We should get back to the bus. Everyone's probably gettin' worried 'bout us."

The two boys pulled their new friend up and helped her get out of the long impact line, making sure the ground was stable this time. After a while, Taylor regained enough of her strength to walk on her own. By the time they got back to the bus, police officers and even some military personnel had arrived and were securing the place as Mrs. Hideyoshi was in a frenzy trying to locate her missing students. As soon as the trio came into view, their teacher was upon them.

"Thank goodness you're safe!" she wailed, engulfing them in a massive hug before moving back to look them in the eye,"Where were you? I've been worried sick!"

Oscar rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. He was considering taking the fall for all of them—it had been his idea after all. Zee was going down a similar train of thought, but before either could say a word, Taylor spoke up,"It was my fault, Mrs. Hideyoshi," the two boys gave each other bewildered looks as the redhead stepped forward and continued,"I wanted to get a sample of the meteor to study, and I dragged them along with me," she motioned to her comrades,"I take full responsibility for what happened."

"Honestly, Miss Kelvin, I expected better from you," the teen lowered her head at her teacher's words,"As a woman of science, you should have known the risks and never ventured down there. You'll receive a week's detention," Taylor nodded, then their teacher turned to the other two,"As for you boys, you should have talked her out of it, but seeing as she is taking full responsibility, I will let you off with a warning; never do anything like this again. Now, on the bus, all of you."

Mrs. Hideyoshi turned and walked at brisk pace back to the aforementioned vehicle, the students loosely following. As they did, Oscar turned to Taylor,"You took the fall for us? Why?"

"Yeah," Zee agreed,"You don't even know us."

The redhead stopped a foot in front of them, a devious smile on her face as she turned to face them,"Simple: now you both owe me one. And trust me, I'll be sure to hold you to it."

She twisted around confidently and continued on her way, Zee and Oscar staring after her with perplexed and shocked looks.

"Did we just get played?" the latter muttered.

"Big time," Zee followed after Taylor.

Oscar gained a goofy smile,"I like her."

"Seriously, dude?"

"What? I can't help it if I'm attracted to intelligent women—especially ones with such nice features."

"I can hear you two, you know."


	2. Chapter 2

Taylor stared forlornly at her ceiling, the uninteresting white allowing her mind to wander.

Eight years.

Eight years today since it happened...since her mother had walked away.

Ironically enough, it was also the same year the Autobots were forced to reveal themselves to the world. A giant structure like Darkmount wasn't something you could just cover up, never mind the massive energy beam that had shot down from the sky to create the structure. So they'd come out of hiding. At first people feared them, (they were still a little anxious when they were around) but over time fear had turned to astonishment, then wonder and even admiration. While it wasn't all that common, one could be lucky enough to see one of the Cybertronians driving down the street in vehicle form. A shock to some in Congress, the massive beings were actually left to their own devices after the Autobot-Human Alliance was instated, some even spreading to other parts of the globe so as not to show favoritism to any one country.

 _'But none of that helps me,'_ a pesky voice reminded her. Taylor sighed. On an ordinary day, she could get lost in thoughts about Cybertronians and their technological advancements for hours, the world around her fading away completely. Today was not one of those days. An Autobot wasn't going to fix her problems, no matter how much she wished it would. Even the events from the other day couldn't change anything.

She glanced at her clock lazily.

11:55

Letting out another sigh, Taylor sat up on her bed, letting her legs hang over the edge for a moment, then stood to collect her shoes. It was a fairly nice night. A walk might do her some good. She collected all the things necessary for her mobile mini-lab (What could she say? She came prepared) and was about to leave the room when something stood out in the corner of her eye. That wasn't right. Taylor prided herself on being extremely neat and organized at all times. Nothing should be out of place.

Turning to face the foreign object, she saw that it was a rectangular box no bigger than her hand. It held no distinct features save for the small peace of paper laying on the top. How had she not noticed it when she'd walked in? She was usually very observant. Nevertheless, she was still going to inspect it. Taylor plucked the note off the box, reading the neat handwriting,

 _Mom wanted you to have this_

 _—Dad_

Mom? Was he talking about his wife? No, her parents hadn't talked since it happened. Was he referring Taylor's grandmother then? That would make a bit more sense. The elderly woman had died two years prior so the wording also worked to that effect. Setting the note aside, Taylor took the lid off the small box and was met with a strange sight.

It was a crystal.

A blue, glowing crystal with metal mixed in, giving it a raw and ruff look that was only added to by the uncut edges. It was only about as long as two-thirds of Taylor's pointer finger and was attached to a strange-looking grey chain of almost alien design. The redhead simply stared at it for a moment, noticing that it emitted a faint yet unique sound. The weirder thing was that she felt drawn to it, and a little voice in the back of her mind whispered, _'Don the Shard.'_

Taylor shook herself back into reality, now slightly concerned with her mental state. No matter what, hearing voices wasn't a good thing and she was pretty sure that it never would be. _'I_ really _need some air,'_ she thought, ready to turn and walk out the door when something stopped her. A feeling, not unlike the one you get when you know something bad is about to happen, was pulling at her psyche, telling her to go back. Taylor tried to shut it out, but it grew so strong that it was like she wasn't in control of her own body anymore, her limbs moving of their own accord. She picked up the crystal and slipped the chain over her head, the metal cooling her skin.

Even as a part of her was screaming that this wasn't right, that she shouldn't be listening to some weird feeling that suddenly showed up, the rest of her felt oddly relaxed and calm as if this was the most normal thing in the world. The teen was jarred from her peaceful state as her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled out the device and read the displayed message. It was from Oscar (Why she decided to give him her number, she had absolutely no idea). Apparently she wasn't the only one staying up late.

 **Bored. Want 2 hang?**

Zee replied a second later:

 **Sure. Where do u want 2 meet?**

 **IDK**

Taylor considered denying the invitation, but maybe social interaction would be good for her? Her dad seemed to think so. She texted back,

 **Going for a walk. Wanna come?**

 **I'll be there**

 **On my way**

She sent them the address for a street corner to meet at, then set out through the dark house, careful not to make too much noise. A retired service man her father might be, but he still had the ears of a bat. Thankfully, he also slept like a rock and Taylor made it outside without a problem.

The air was cool but not cold, the valley still holding on to the last threads of summer. As she walked, Taylor was grateful that she lived in the better side of town, so going out in the middle of the night was relatively safe. It gave her more time ponder her strange gift. The glowing and humming it emitted were very characteristic to Energon, thus making it likely that the chain was of Cybertronian make. That seemed to fit, but how and why would her father—or grandmother, for that matter—have it? Energon was stored in high-security areas that only permitted Autobots and top-clearance scientists inside. You couldn't just go down to the local jewelry store and pick the prettiest one for a friend or spouse. It made no sense.

And then there were the irregularities in the Energon's appearance. The crystals that formed in the earth were much, much larger than the one Taylor was currently wearing. The ribbons of metal running through it also added to the uniqueness. In fact, as the teen brought it to eye level for closer inspection, it looked like the metal had been surrounding the crystal like a shell, only to be stripped away. It was as if—

Taylor's heart nearly leapt into her throat at the next thought, her feet coming to a stop.

—As if the shard had been pulled directly from a Cybertronian's Spark.

The redhead felt her stomach twist uncomfortably. She was definitely running an analysis of the crystal tomorrow. Hopefully she could prove herself wrong.

"Hey!"

Taylor gave a start, whirling around in panic. She let out a sight of relief when she saw that it was only Oscar and Zee. She managed a fake smile as they ventured down the block. Their resident Hispanic might have tried to start up a conversation with her as they started walking, but she was too busy trying to calm her racing heart to hear what he was saying.

They strode down several streets with only idle chitchat being said. It was mostly about sports so Taylor didn't feel inclined to jump in. She didn't pay much attention to the American pastimes. A few minutes later everything had drifted into silence as they got to the edges of town, near areas of farmland that still managed to exist despite the technological boom that had happened a few years back. It was as he was looking around that Oscar noticed the crystal that Taylor now wore.

"Cool necklace," he said, making the redhead glance at the gem,"Is it new?"

Without a reply, Taylor tucked the shard beneath her undershirt, though she made sure to put on a small glare. Finding this and her lack of eye contact strange, Oscar whispered to Zee,"Geez, what's her problem?"

"If she doesn't wanna talk about it, she doesn't want to talk about it," the older teen stressed in a tone that told him to drop the subject before he made things worse. Oscar took the hint and didn't speak, but he still thought Taylor was acting funny. He knew she wasn't the most talkative person, far from it actually if their quiet lunch yesterday was any indication, but this seemed like a different kind of silence, one that said _'I kinda want to tell you something but also kinda don't'_. He'd seen it before.

Suddenly the ground shook violently as a massive, booming noise sounded not too far away. Once the tremor passed, Zee voiced the question on all their minds,"Okay, what was that?"

A second rumble was his only answer. This time, a flash of blue pulsed over the tree line several hundred yards away and the scent of something burning assaulted the teens' nostrils. The event repeated itself several more times, the blue sometimes being switched out for red. They all knew it could only mean one very bad thing. While the other two were starting to make a hasty retreat, Oscar began to move closer.

"Dude, what're you doin'?!" Zee yelled after him,"We gotta get outta here!"

"I am not missing this," the Hispanic called back with a little too much enthusiasm, then took off toward the trees.

Letting out a frustrated growl, Zee started after him,"Not without me you're not."

Once again, Taylor was torn between practical safety and reckless adventure. The crystal laying against her chest seemed to thrum with excitement, as if it wanted to go after them and made it that much harder to think. She made up her mind.

"You know, the last time we did this, we nearly got blown up," she shouted even as she raced behind the two boys.

"Sticks and stones," was Oscar's reply.

—Time skip—

Taylor lost sight of her friends but kept heading toward the now nearly deafening sounds. Upon seeing the edge of the woods, she ducked behind a tree and poked her head out to see exactly what she'd expected; the Autobots in a heated battle with a small group of Decepticons.

Several drones lay dead on the battlefield in various conditions. The ground itself had been scorched and upturned in numerous places. Blue and red lasers whizzed through the he air as each side tried to gain the advantage, some even locked in fist fights with sparks flying.

Taylor was in awe of it all. It was so spectacular and amazing, yet also terrifying—unlike anything she'd ever seen before. As she watched, a large black 'Bot punched the helm of a Decepticon drone, effectively crushing its faceplate, then grabbed it and threw it away...

...Directly at Taylor's hiding place.

She was frozen to the spot, her mind not quite registering the fact that she was about to be crushed by a Cybertronian. As its shadow fell over her, a firm hand latched onto her arm and pulled her out of the way just before it came crashing down. Taylor's mind finally started working again as she was pushed behind the cover of a boulder where Oscar was peeking over the top to watch the fight.

"You alright?" Zee called over the fighting. Taylor gave herself a once over and nodded. The larger teen returned the gesture with a relieved expression, then joined his friend in observing the conflict, their third member soon standing between them. Just then Taylor noticed a device in one of the boys' hands.

"You're _filming_ this!?" she cried in disbelief.

"Hey, this is a once-a-lifetime opportunity," Oscar replied, not bothering to look away from the fight,"I've gotta get something as proof."

Zee shouted,"Well, now that you've got it, Os, we should really go!"

A 'Con blowing up near them should have helped prove his point, if his Hispanic friend didn't shout back,"No way! I want to see the _grandioso final_!"

"Oh, heck no!"

Zee grabbed the back of Oscar's jacket and all but dragged him across the ground as the larger teen and Taylor made a beeline for the trees. But just before they reached them, a stray blaster shot hit the ground near the trio and sent them flying. After a short blackout, the redhead gained her bearings and spotted the boys still heading for the woods. She calmed her churning stomach and tried to follow but a damaged drone chose that moment to fall directly in her path, eliciting a startled scream.

One that was, unfortunately, heard.

The bright red Decepticon, designation: Knockout, paused mid-fight to see the young girl race behind a mostly demolished old shed for cover. He gained a malicious smile as he drew closer.

Meanwhile the boys were mostly to the trees, however, due to the fighting, they hadn't had a clear path. As they ran, an Autobot took notice of their presence after almost crushing them and commend his allies,"Prime, be advised; there are humans on site! I repeat: human civilians on site!"

"Understood, Jetfire," Optimus replied,"How many are there?"

Jetfire blasted through another drone,"Just two, thank Primus."

The Autobot leader turned to a yellow and black 'Bot,"Bumblebee, get them out of here!"

The young scout beeped his response, then changed into vehicle mode and took after the boys, who were currently resting in a relatively safe area. It was then that Oscar noticed their shrunken party.

"Where's Taylor?" he shouted, worry creeping into his voice. No sooner had he spoken than a drone settled its blaster on them. They stared down the barrel in terror, wondering if this was the end. It never got the chance to fire as Bumblebee transformed and sent a flying kick into the 'Con's head, pinning it to the ground before firing several shots to the chest for good measure. After making sure the drone wasn't getting up, Bee turned to the teens and started making various warning noises and waving his arm toward the trees, trying to tell them to run for it.

"We came with someone else," Zee explained,"But she's missing. She could still be out here somewhere."

Before he could do anything, a blaster shot hit Bee's left shoulder causing the scout to cry out in pain. However, it was quickly forgotten as he gunned down the annoying 'Con responsible for it, silencing his previous laughter. He gave the boys one last warning, then took off back into the fight, relaying the message to the other Autobots.

"Another one!?" Ironhide bellowed as he shot straight through a drone,"Great, a human lost on a battlefield; just what we need!"

Optimus cut through two more Decepticons,"We must first focus on the fight at hand. Autobots, push them back!"

"I can do that," Jazz replied with enthusiasm that you wouldn't find anywhere else in a battle. Giving himself a wide birth, two large speakers popped up from both shoulders and produced a deafening sonic pulse in the form of a wicked guitar and bass duet. It knocked the remaining 'Cons back a good few yards, the Autobots quick to surround them.

"Surrender peacefully and you will not be harmed," Optimus declared in his most commanding voice. With fury blazing in his optics, Starscream stood and cried,"You will pay for this, Prime!"

"Oh, really?" Jazz challenged,"And how would you like that payment; in dollars?"

"How about human life?"

Everyone turned to see Knockout approaching with a young girl clutched tightly in one hand and the other turned into his buzz saw, the blades dangerously close to her head.

"Taylor!"

Jazz and Bumblebee quickly used their hands to bar Zee and Oscar from getting any closer. By Primus, they'd nearly forgotten about the boys.

"Still playing with human pets, Prime?" Starscream jeered,"I would've thought you'd have gotten wiser after all this time."

Optimus narrowed his glare.

"Now, be good Autobots and turn off that communication jammer," Knockout moved his saw closer forcing Taylor to lean as far away as she could. Oscar yelled something in Spanish that would've made his mother wash his mouth out with soap. The Decepticon doctor merely laughed,"Fiery one isn't he?"

Optimus considered his options. With one human in immediate danger and two more in a position that wasn't much better, there was only one possible outcome that he could see. Reluctantly, he deactivated his weapons and straightened, his loyal comrades following suit, though Ironhide made sure to make his aggravation known with a fervent growl. With a nod from his leader, Jetfire turned the jammer off.

At the same time, Taylor couldn't believe what was happening. Of course, she just had to run into an active battle zone only to get caught and used as bargaining chip for the enemy. She felt guilt well up inside and couldn't help but want to get them all out of this mess. A strange noise and green light started behind her. She didn't need to look to know that it was the Decepticons' groundbridge. However, that was also the moment Taylor remembered the scalpel she always kept in her pocket, and she noticed that Knockout had loosened his grip and moved the buzz saw away slightly, most likely in relief and victory. Taking the opportunity, the teen reached into her jeans and secured a firm, back-handed grip on the object's hilt.

Starscream chuckled darkly,"It seems that the fleshies you see as allies once again reveal themselves as the crippling weakness they truly are."

"Don't believe everything you hear!" Taylor shouted, then tore her arm from her captor's hold and drove the scalpel into the vulnerable joints of Knockout's hand. The 'Con cried out in pain, flinging his arm to the side instinctively and, subsequently, releasing his captive. As Taylor went flying, Optimus saw the chance she'd given him and opened fire on the remaining Decepticon troops while Jazz leapt into action, transforming and speeding across the ground, then turning back into his bi-pedal form, leaping and catching Taylor in a somersault. He dug his free hand into the ground to stop his momentum, then looked down at the young human in his servo.

"You alright, kid?" Jazz asked, making sure to lower his voice so as to not blow out her sensitive ears.

Taylor put a hand to her spinning head, then to her mouth as whatever she'd eaten in the past few hours threatened to make a return trip. In a queasy tone she replied,"I-I think so, but don't blame me if...I hurl..."

In an almost comical way, she then collapsed in the 'Bot's hand, unconscious, leaving Jazz to wonder what to do now.

Back on the battlefield, the Autobots were once again blasting their adversaries apart. Knockout had ripped the offensive scalpel out of his hand and disappeared through the groundbridge, Starscream not too far behind. A few drones escaped with them, the rest laying in mangled heaps as the swirling portal closed. Finally having a moment to rest, Bumblebee slumped a bit as he held his arm, the injury making itself known for a second time. As Jetfire tended to his friend and Ironhide grumbled about not getting to blast more 'Cons, Zee and Oscar decided to remind the 'Bots of their existence.

"Hey!" Oscar shouted, gaining Optimus's attention,"What about Taylor? Where is she?"

"Cool ya jets, chief, she's alright," Jazz bent down and showed the concerned teens their sleeping comrade,"Girl passed out from the rush but she should be fine."

There were pressure marks on her skin where Knockout had been squeezing her and Taylor's face looked a bit pale, though besides that, she seemed relatively unharmed. Zee and Oscar let out identical sighs of relief, the tension that had filled them during the entire fight dissipating.

Optimus looked upon the young trio as old memories came to mind. It was odd how history had a way of repeating itself. He smiled faintly at the apparent bond they shared. After retracting his battle mask, he opened the com channel,"Ratchet, we need a groundbridge."

 **"Understood,"** the medic replied, **"Should I prepare sickbay?"**

"Indeed, and be advised, we have three guests with us."

 **"Decepticons?"**

"Smaller."

A pause.

 **"Optimus Prime, if you're telling me that you are once again bringing teenagers to the base, so help me—"** there was some incoherent mumbling as Ratchet cut himself off to avoid saying some rather colorful words, then a tired groan, **"Fine!"**

Optimus couldn't help but chuckle.

 **—**

Hello there, curious reader!

If you haven't guessed, updates won't exactly be 'regular' in the sense of being exactly a week apart. Really I wil just post when I deem the chapter to be ready.

Special shoutout to Aperson for leaving a review on the last chapter. It helped motivate me to getting this chapter done faster, so thank you!

That's all for now.

See ya later, Pala-dudes!


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